Arnold Weinstock, Baron Weinstock,
Kt. OMRI
Omri ( ; he, , ''‘Omrī''; akk, 𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿 ''Ḫûmrî'' 'ḫu-um-ri-i'' fl. 9th century BC) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the sixth king of Israel. He was a successful military campaigner who extended the northern kingdom of ...
, (29 July 1924 – 23 July 2002) was an English industrialist and businessman known for making
General Electric Company one of Britain's most profitable companies. The City criticized Weinstock for his financial caution but after he retired as managing director in 1996, under his successor a series of ill-judged acquisitions led to catastrophic losses.
Early life
Born in
Stoke Newington, Hackney, London, the son of working class Polish-Jewish immigrants Golda () and Simon Weinstock, Arnold Weinstock was educated at the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
.
Career
He was a junior administrative officer in the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
in the period 1944–1947. In 1949, he married Netta Sobell, the daughter of industrialist
Michael Sobell
Sir Michael Sobell (1 November 1892 – 1 September 1993) was a British businessman, a major philanthropist, and a prominent owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
Family and childhood
Sobel (from 1946, Sobell"Sobell, Sir Michael (1892– ...
. The couple had two children, Simon (1952–1996) and Susan (b 1955).
Lady Weinstock died in 2019.
In 1954 he joined his father-in law's electronics company,
Radio & Allied Industries Ltd., and in 1963 orchestrated its merger with the
General Electric Company, becoming the largest shareholder of GEC. He served as a member of the board of directors from 1961 to 1963 and was managing director from 1963 to 1996, thence chairman Emeritus. He transformed the firm, raising its turnover from £100m in 1960 to £11bn at his retirement in 1996.
He was a director of
Rolls-Royce (1971) Ltd from 1971 to 1973. He was a significant investor in
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
at its launch in 1968. He was Vice-President of the Friends of the
Ravenna Festival (1993–1994), a trustee of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
(1985–1996), the
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
and the Foundation Fund (1984–1992). He became a friend of the conductor
Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...
, whose recordings he chose on the ''
Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...
'' radio programme. He was also senior trustee of the Next Century Foundation, a peace process organisation he helped establish. He established the Weinstock Fund, a charitable foundation that supports a variety of benevolent and cultural causes.
He became an Honorary Fellow of his alma mater, LSE, in 1985. ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper called him "Britain's premier post-second-world-war industrialist." He was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...
in the
1970 Birthday Honours
The 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in suppleme ...
for services to export and was created a
life peer in the
1980 Birthday Honours as Baron Weinstock, ''of
Bowden Bowden may refer to:
Places Australia
* Bowden Island, one of the Family Islands in Queensland
* Bowden, South Australia, northwestern suburb of Adelaide
* Bowden railway station
Canada
* Bowden, Alberta, town in central Alberta
England
* Bowde ...
in the
County of Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
'' on 17 July 1980.
He was also a Fellow of the
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good.
...
, an Honorary Fellow of
Peterhouse, Cambridge (from 1982), and an Honorary Bencher of
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...
(from 1982). He became a Commander of the
Ordine al Merito of Italy in 1991 and an Officer of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
of France in 1992. He was awarded an Honorary DSc: Salford, 1975; Aston, 1976; University of Bath, 1978; Reading, 1978; Ulster, 1987; Hon. LLD: Leeds, 1978; Wales, 1985; Keele, 1997; Hon. DTech Loughborough, 1981; DUniv Anglia Poly., 1994; Hon. DEconSc London, 1997.
Horse racing
A member of the
Jockey Club, Weinstock owned a number of
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorses
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
. He and his father-in-law,
Michael Sobell
Sir Michael Sobell (1 November 1892 – 1 September 1993) was a British businessman, a major philanthropist, and a prominent owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
Family and childhood
Sobel (from 1946, Sobell"Sobell, Sir Michael (1892– ...
, became owners in 1957 and were immediately successful when purchasing
London Cry, who won the 1958
Cambridgeshire Handicap
The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlo ...
. In 1960 they purchased the
Ballymacoll Stud
Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles (6 km) from the town of Maynooth. Under th ...
in Ireland. One of their early successful racehorses was a colt called
Reform
Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...
, who was the champion miler of 1967 and won amongst other races the
St. James's Palace Stakes Sussex Stakes and
Champion Stakes. Up until 1971 his horses were trained by Sir
Gordon Richards but in 1970 with his father in law he purchased the West Ilsley stables from
Jakie Astor
Major Sir John Jacob "Jakie" Astor VII, (29 August 1918 – 10 September 2000) was an English politician and sportsman. He was a member of the prominent Astor family.
Early life
John Jacob Astor VII (Jakie) was born 29 August 1918, the young ...
, whereupon
Dick Hern
William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions.
Following his early career ...
became his trainer. They owned and bred the
St Leger Stakes
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...
runner-up Homeric. In 1974
Gaily, a purchased filly, won the
Irish One Thousand Guineas. Their horse Admetus won the Washington International Stakes and the
Prince of Wales's Stakes
The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 ...
. A few years later they bred and owned Cistus who won the Lupe Stakes,
Child Stakes,
Nassau Stakes
The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...
and the
Prix de l'Opéra
The Prix de l'Opéra is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres (about 1¼ miles), and i ...
. Their horse
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
won the 200th
Epsom Derby in 1979. In 1981 they sold the stables to
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
.
Sun Princess Sun Princess may refer to:
* ''Sun Princess'' (ship), various ships
* Sun Princess (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse
* Sun Princess, the title given to the second place winner of the Sun and Salsa Festival pageant
See also
* Princess Sun, ...
won both the Epsom Oaks and St Leger. She in turn bred for them the Champion Two Year Old of 1988
Prince of Dance
Prince of Dance (21 April 1986 – 1989) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 1988 he showed outstanding promise and was rated one of the best colts of his generation in Europe, finishing first in a ...
. By now the partnership's horses were being trained by Sir
Michael Stoute
Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing.
Career
Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...
, although Hern remained as a trainer up until 1997 and other trainers such as
Ian Balding
Ian Balding (born 7 November 1938) is a retired British horse trainer. He is the son of the polo player and racehorse trainer Gerald Matthews Balding and the younger brother of trainer Toby Balding. Ian Balding was born in the US, but his famil ...
,
Peter Chapple-Hyam and
Roger Charlton trained at various times for them. Upon Sir Michael Sobell's death, Weinstock continued his racing activities, in partnership with his son Simon. They owned 1995 Irish Two Thousand Guineas and Champion Stakes winner
Spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...
. On the premature death of Simon Weinstock, the racing activities continued but soon after raced under the name of the Ballymacoll Stud. He also owned
Pilsudski, whose wins included the 1996
Grosser Preis von Baden
The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is schedu ...
and
Breeders' Cup Turf plus the 1997
Japan Cup
The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
;
Golan
Golan ( he, גּוֹלָן ''Gōlān''; ar, جولان ' or ') is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical ...
(who won the
Two Thousand Guineas Stakes
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year ...
and the
after Weinstock's death) and
Islington (who won the
Musidora Stakes, and after Weinstock's death won the Nassau Stakes, the
Yorkshire Oaks
The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 ...
(twice) and the
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...
). Ballymacoll Stud continues as a stud owned by his family to this day. The Weinstock developed families of Reform (but also of Hellenic, Golan and Islington), Sun Prince (but also of Sun Princess and Spectrum), and Gaily (but also of Pilsudski) continue in the stud.
Arms
References and sources
;References
;Sources
*
Who's Who 2001
* Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Britain 2001
*
Alex Brummer, ''Weinstock: The Life and Times of Britain's Premier Industrialist'' (HarperCollinsBusiness, 1998).
''Timesonline'' article on the Weinstock Fund, charitable foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstock, Arnold
1924 births
2002 deaths
English Jews
English people of Polish-Jewish descent
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Statistical Society
British statisticians
20th-century British businesspeople
Jewish British philanthropists
British racehorse owners and breeders
Owners of Epsom Derby winners
Knights Bachelor
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Crossbench life peers
Trustees of the British Museum
General Electric Company
20th-century British philanthropists
Civil servants in the Admiralty